A messaging platform's success is clearly measured in users as well as features, iMessage/FaceTime and Facebook clearly win the former through simplicity or ubiquity, whilst novel features in other Apps (Twitter, WhatsApp, Snapchat etc.) create (if somewhat temporarily) large-enough install bases for specific use cases.

Google continues, despite Android and Chrome, to fail on both accounts.

A messaging platform's success is clearly measured in users as well as features, iMessage/FaceTime and Facebook clearly win the former through simplicity or ubiquity, whilst novel features in other Apps (Twitter, WhatsApp, Snapchat etc.) create (if somewhat temporarily) large-enough install bases for specific use cases.

Google continues, despite Android and Chrome, to fail on both accounts.

Hangouts is a great cross platform messaging app. A lot of functionality. I use it every day on my Chromebook and and with iOS7. I don't understand why people have to be down on an app or product they probably don't use in the first place.

Unless Facetime magically starts working on Android and Windows, I'll be using Hangouts for video chat with certain non-Apple friends and family, as well as when I'm on my phone rather than my tablet or computer.

Like Facetime, Hangouts is far less laggy than Skype, in my experience. Unlike Facetime, Hangouts is just as cross-platform as Skype.

Would I prefer to use Facetime to chat with all these people? Of course. Can I? No.

Unless Facetime magically starts working on Android and Windows, I'll be using Hangouts for video chat with certain non-Apple friends and family, as well as when I'm on my phone rather than my tablet or computer.

Like Facetime, Hangouts is far less laggy than Skype, in my experience. Unlike Facetime, Hangouts is just as cross-platform as Skype.

Would I prefer to use Facetime to chat with all these people? Of course. Can I? No.

I switched from iPhones before Facetime but heard it is quite good. How does it compare to Hangouts? Despite the 'I hate anything not Apple' crowd here, Hangouts is pretty good and blows Skype out of the water. Has Facetime added multiuser support? I don't use Hangouts much, but its usually my parents in Switzerland, sister in one state, cousin in another, and me in another and we're all onscreen at the same time and its still less laggy than Skype.